Pagan podcast by and for New York Pagans

It was a clear and beautiful day. Pagans from all quarters of NY State gathered on September 28, 2013, in Washington Square Park to celebrate pride in being Pagan -- pride in our beliefs, pride in our ethics and action, pride in our loving spirits, pride in the magic, pride in the Goddess and God, pride in one another, pride in all the creatures of Gaia. We drummed. We chanted. We made sacred space. We honored the ancestors and the gods. We welcomed in music and dance and song. We welcomed in rhythm and food and sex and everything that is good about being a fleshly being.

This episode of New York Pagan features audio recordings from that day. Featured are folk musician SJ Tucker and her drum workshop AND her mainstage performance, author Kirk White, and magical love Goddess Dawn the Kitchen Witch of Cucina Aurora, among others. Enjoy the spirit of the day, and take it home with you. Joy, laughter, celebration, and magic were the order of the day.

It was a clear and beautiful day. Pagans from all quarters of NY State gathered on September 28, 2013, in Washington Square Park to celebrate pride in being Pagan -- pride in our beliefs, pride in our ethics and action, pride in our loving spirits, pride in the magic, pride in the Goddess and God, pride in one another, pride in all the creatures of Gaia. We drummed. We chanted. We made sacred space. We honored the ancestors and the gods. We welcomed in music and dance and song. We welcomed in rhythm and food and sex and everything that is good about being a fleshly being.

This episode of New York Pagan features audio recordings from that day. Featured are folk musician SJ Tucker and her drum workshop AND her mainstage performance, author Kirk White, and magical love Goddess Dawn the Kitchen Witch of Cucina Aurora, among others. Enjoy the spirit of the day, and take it home with you. Joy, laughter, celebration, and magic were the order of the day.

"For there is no greater magic in all the worlds than that of love. Lust runs a close second."

Love, that most powerful of human emotions, and Lust, Love's somewhat less invested cousin, are key generators of magical energy. Mary Elizabeth Micari, the Magical Apothecary, describes in this episode some of the ways we can enhance love and lust in our lives to bring us more happiness, prosperity, health, and more. Herbs, foods, and other magical techniques are all at our disposal to assist us in manifesting "acts of love and pleasure."

New York Pagan is a collaborative effort produced by and for the New York Pagan community. We are seeking contributors to this podcast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please email editors@newyorkpagan.org for more information.

Puck, aka Zan Fraser, aka Bruce Alex Skidmore, died this past week. It came as a shock to us all. He was a fixture at every Pagan ritual in the city, and every Pagan festival within the continental U.S. Many people knew and loved Puck. He was also a close friend of mine, a magical brother, someone who saw the best and the worst and who always smiled at me, no matter what. He helped me and many others almost every day of his life.

On Sept. 17, 2013, the Pagan community who loved Puck came together to mourn the passing of their beloved friend, but also to celebrate his life and energy and magic and to pay it forward...he's given us all so very much, and we owe him a great debt. So we honor him, and make offerings to him, and sing to his deities, and wish him well.

What was particularly poignant was the presence of his parents, Bruce and Kay. Genteel people from Charleston, South Carolina, they displayed such grace and incredibly stalwart aplomb at the ceremony, imbuing themselves in the magic and energy and offerings of those who loved their son. Had they only cried, we all would have been sunk. But they only expressed joy and gratitude for this coming together. They partook in the ritual actions, and in that way they could connect with Puck once again, even beyond the Veil. And most of all, I am so so glad that we could bring many a smile to the faces of two grieving parents. Together we sought and found closure...well, a kind of closure, because we'll never not miss him and wish he were here with us.

For those of you who knew him, you will always carry him in your hearts. For those of you who did not know him, you can be sure that his spirit has radiated out to touch you at some point...he was so connected to so many of us, and his influence was strong.

Listen to this ceremony of remembrance. Hear how Pagans honor our Glorious Dead.

It's Beltane once again in the northern hemisphere, and oh, the lads and lasses are playing! Enjoy this start of the month of "Maying" (ahem) with some words about sensuality, pleasure, and enjoying life. Mary Elizabeth Micari of The Magic Apothecary shares with us some of her knowledge about medicinal herbs as well as magical herbs for spellcraft to gain love and sex. Saucy!

New York Pagan is a collaborative effort produced by and for the New York Pagan community. We are seeking contributors to this podcast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please email editors@newyorkpagan.org for more information.

Brian opens this episode with a recounting and commentary on the recent scandal involving New York City Council member Dan Halloran (R), possibly the first open Heathen elected to an important office. Brian touches on some of the most exoteric principles of anglo-saxon Theodism, which Dan Halloran led as lord of his Theodish group, and discusses some of the ways Dan's fall from grace reflects poorly on Pagans and Heathens. Brian also touches on latest developments in marriage equality ("gay marriage"), and gives his predictions on how the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Gary Suto contributes to this episode with his "Smoke Talk" (reflections during a smoke break) from Pantheacon 2013. In this Smoke Talk, Gary describes a lecture given by Orion Foxwood on "The Living Conjurer" and touches on Orion's teachings on self-empowerment, ancestor work/worship, and the power of "cleaning house," among other things. Gary also celebrates the 100th ritual of the New York City Gay Men's Open Pagan Magick Circle, on Tuesday, April 16, at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan, from 7pm on. Get more info on that ritual here: https://www.facebook.com/events/232498563546851/

New York Pagan is a collaborative effort produced by and for the New York Pagan community. We are seeking contributors to this podcast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please email editors@newyorkpagan.org for more information.

Courtney Weber, a Wiccan priestess, writer, tarot advisor, and teacher living in New York City shares her reflections on the power of Ostara, the Spring Equinox, and offers tips for welcoming the energies of renewal and rebirth into our daily lives.

O spring, when the year is young, who give birth to flowers, to new grass and new loves, Round you come again, but without the dear days of my hopes. You are just as you were before so delightful and lovely. But I am not as I once was, so dear to another’s eyes.

New York Pagan is a collaborative effort produced by and for the New York Pagan community. We are seeking contributors to this podcast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please email editors@newyorkpagan.org for more information.

Mary Elizabeth Micari, proprietor of The Magic Apothecary (www.themagicapothecary.com) brings us her first installment of talks on magical herbs. She discusses how herbs and magic work together and how we as witches can work with herbs. For her first talk, Mary focuses on echinacea, known for its healing and protective powers. Learn all about this wonderful plant ally and how we can bring it into our lives in magical and healing ways.

New York Pagan is a collaborative effort produced by and for the New York Pagan community. We are seeking contributors to this podcast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please email editors@newyorkpagan.org for more information.

Gary Suto, founder of the NYC Open Gay Men's Pagan Magick Circle and founder of the New York Pagan Alliance as well as a priest of the Minoan Brotherhood, shares some of his thoughts from Pantheacon 2013 following a lecture on interpreting Charles Leland's "Aradia" ( or "Gospel of the Witches") from a queer pagan perspective. The talk was given by Michelle Mueller.

New York Pagan is a collaborative effort produced by and for the New York Pagan community. We are seeking contributors to this podcast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please email editors@newyorkpagan.org for more information.

Drawing Down the Moon author and NPR correspondent Margot Adler, and Matthew Sawicki, a gay witch with more than 20 years experience in the Craft, joined us to talk about how Paganism has evolved over the years, and discuss where it could be headed. Along the way, we get to enjoy lots of fun anecdotes from both of them that shed light on how much our community has evolved (or hasn't, in some cases).

Photo: Margot Adler and Matthew Sawicki

The lecture took place on December 11, 2012, at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregational Society of Brooklyn, New York. Inspired by the recent publishing of Michael Lloyd's Bull of Heaven: The Mythic Life of Eddie Buczynski and the Rise of the New York Pagan, the series aimed to recount the origins of the New York Pagan community, highlight issues that have shaped who we have become today, discuss how we as a community can help effect positive change in the world today, and imagine what our next steps might be together.

You can read more about this lecture at The Juggler, a blog featuring New York Pagan, author, and blogger Puck Zan Fraser's reflections on each of the four Pagan Way 40th Anniversary Lectures.

The lectures also featured a collection to provide Hurricane Sandy relief to the Ali Forney Center, a nonprofit that provides shelter to homeless LGBT youth. Attendees generously donated $670 over the course of the four lectures. Please make a donation to the Ali Forney Center today to continue growing the good karma.

New York Pagan is a collaborative effort produced by and for the New York Pagan community. We are seeking contributors to this podcast. If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please email editors@newyorkpagan.org for more information.